Just Taz
by gypsy rosalie
Summary: Pre-Starship. Up is looking to train a new Lieutenant, but in taking the little Hispanic girl he rescued five years ago under his wing, he gets a lot more than he bargained for.


**Just felt like taking a break from 'Reconstruction' and writing this. It's set before Starship, when Up trains Taz to be his Lieutenant. Hope you like. I own nothing.**

**Dedicated to my totally awesome beta.**

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><p>Commander Up isn't sure exactly what it is about Taz.<p>

What it is that makes him glance twice at her when she passes him, what it is that makes him consider for just a moment that maybe she might be right for…

The death of a Lieutenant always means a staggering amount of paperwork, reassignment, funeral arrangements and an array of other unwelcome tasks- not to mention the emotional toll it might take on other crewmembers. And then, of course, there's that damned- awful task of finding a replacement. After Lieutenant Majors bites the dust, taking down a platoon of robots in the process, Up finds himself in this unpleasant position- and left to find someone on his own. There just isn't anyone that can be spared, and Head Office have more important things to figure out right now. He's got to train someone new.  
>If it wasn't for the fact that all the applicants were useless, he reasons, he might never have even considered her. If he wasn't in need of a walk to clear his head, he wouldn't have found himself roaming this wing of the G.L.E.E. Headquarters. But they were, and he is, and he walks right into Taz.<p>

He hasn't interacted much with her for a couple of years now. It was really a chance encounter in the first place; their first meeting- he just happened to be in the right place at the right time to save her from the robots, and he took her home out of a rare display of pity. He'd taken care of her until the G.L.E.E. accepted her into the rangers- not a long wait, as she soon impressed on him and the others she had remarkable talent for fighting. In that short time he'd tried to gain her trust- he'd protected her from the bullies who taunted her, chasing them into a dumpster, but she'd still remained closed, and wouldn't open up even slightly to him. Eventually she'd been assigned to another starship and they'd gone their separate ways.

So seeing her now comes as a complete surprise. Up hasn't forgotten her- he often hears about her from the other Commanders- complaints more than anything else. She's angry all the time, she gets into fights, she's more trouble than she's worth, they say, and she's been passed from mission to mission like an unwanted party favour. Her last few assignments have relegated her to mining ships, and although Up doesn't consider it much, he thinks it's a waste.

She has potential- he'd seen it from day one.

The first thing he notices is how much more extroverted she is. When she was fifteen she'd barely exchanged ten words with him. Now, after he's ploughed into her, she hurls abuse without a second thought.  
>'Watch jour step, <em>idiota! <em>Walk over me again and I'll tear out jour throat and…oh. It's _jou._' Maybe it's the fact that he saved her life five years ago, or that he's a Commanding Officer, but she can't finish threatening him. Her knife's still raised, expertly held, and Up's hit with the sudden force of an idea.

'Hi there, Taz. How's the minin' goin'?'

She mutters a string of words he doesn't understand, but he gets the gist from her tone of voice.

'Not really your thing, huh?'

'I thought when I came here I'd get to do _something_ more significant dan breaking _estupido_ rocks!'

He knows it's a huge risk, she's not even qualified, she's only twenty, but none of the morons on his ship know left from right, let alone how to take on responsibility, and anyway, it's all up to him now anyway. She's a good fighter, she's tough- not afraid of a challenge. Maybe giving her a little responsibility would be beneficial to her, and he's sure he could make use of her. Her Commander won't mind, he'll probably be relieved Up's taking her off his hands.

'Say you were given the opportunity to do something more significant- and far more suited to you…would you be interested?'

Her expression remains the same, but he can tell from the way her eyes light up that he's got her attention.

'I'm listening.'

He smiles at her. 'I'd need to train you- you'd have to do everything I say and it's gonna be hard…'

He's already won her over, though. He can tell. He offers her hand, and after a slight hesitation, she shakes it.

And so Up takes her on, training her to be his Lieutenant. He soon realises she's many things more.

* * *

><p>She's his project, and he's her mentor. He spars with her, teaches her more military tactics, and is impressed by her talent. She really was wasted on those minor missions; he can make great use of her. The fighting techniques come easily to her; she learns them with ease and relishes every valuable bit of advice he bestows on her. The official duties, however, are foreign to her, and her patience wears down easily. She understands the necessity for knowledge on the robots, on the different ways to kill them, on how to work the ship's canons and how to lead the lower ranking rangers. The galactic meetings, the obligatory lectures from Space-Claw and diplomacy with other planets, all of which, as a high-ranking officer now constitute necessary duties for Taz, are met with disgust and disapproval. She tells him in no uncertain terms <em>exactly<em> what Space-Claw should do with his research.  
>Up laughs at first, but several repeat offences ram the message home that she's <em>serious.<em>

She's his Problem-Child. It always feels like he's having to act…_parental_, almost, and he hates that. Taz flatly refuses to take part in anything she personally doesn't find useful, and more often not he alternates between coaxing and threats to get her to _just get on with it. _ Lieutenants only need a _basic_ understanding of calculus, just in case, but she hits the roof when she hears the news. Up guides her through the textbook, patiently explaining the formulas again and again despite her repeated snappy remark of '_what de hell is this crap?'_ He sets her an exercise; she gets question 1(a) wrong, hits him over the head with her book and sits there stubbornly refusing to pick up her pencil for another hour. At last he snaps, reminding her not-so-patiently that she's a Lieutenant now, dammit, she needs to act like it and stop behaving like a spoiled child.

Taz opens the exercise again and completes it obediently, giving him sheepish looks for the rest of the day.

Her attitude leaves a lot to be desired. After they've been at it for nearly two months, Up takes her along on a couple of raids, to get the feel of her new rank and the sorts of responsibilities she'll have. He puts a handful of the crew in her care, sits her down and gives her strict instructions as to how she is to proceed.

'There are three Megatron units down there, and they're highly armed and dangerous. Wait ten seconds before going in, to make sure the coast is clear. Get in and out as fast as you can and don't get your men to shoot unless it's necessary- we wanna get the hostages out without attracting the robot's attention- if we can.'

She waits five and immediately blasts the robots to kingdom come. She's planned it fairly well- has the element of surprise on her side- gets all the hostages out but Up's livid.

'Hey, I got de job done!' she yells, exasperated, after he's through telling her off.

'_Yes,_ Taz,' he hisses through gritted teeth, 'but I _gave you an order!'_

She rolls her eyes. 'I still maintain my way was better.'

Up shakes his head but doesn't say anything. He hates to admit it, but she's right. The girl's got talent when it comes to strategy; she can turn the whole thing to her advantage. She's going to make a great leader, that much is obvious, but he wishes just once she'd damn well _do as she was told._

She's a fire-truckin' good soldier, though. The way she lights up at his praise, and tries to hide her excitement when she masters something new, endears her to him. Despite her not-so-occasional temper tantrums, Up really enjoys working with her, and as she progresses he catches glimpses of the Lieutenant she'll become, the skilled warrior she is. Her anger may hinder her rational thinking sometimes, but she'll be able to scare the lazy candy-asses in his platoon into shape. She really is, he reckons as he watches her, a lucky find.

* * *

><p>Up can't say he hasn't noticed the comments floating around about the two of them. They spend nearly all their time together these days, even when he's not training her. He finds he can talk to her with ease, and as the weeks have gone on, she's opened up more to him. He remembers the first time he made her laugh- no-one in the G.L.E.E. has ever even gotten her to crack a smile in the five years she's been here. They're practically inseparable now, never seen without the other close by.<p>

Everywhere he turns, another Commander's commenting on his impressive progress with her, shaping her into a damned valuable asset, or some cocky private's placing a bet on whether or not there's more to their mentor-student relationship than meets the eye. Their names are mentioned almost always in conjunction with each other- not individuals but halves of the whole, halves of Up-and-Taz.  
>He can't complain. They make a great team. And personally, he likes being Up-and-Taz. He wants to be her best friend, her confidante, someone she trusts, and, dare he say it, someone she <em>cares about.<em>

As Taz draws closer to officially receiving her title and rank, the paperwork mounts up, as do the more unpleasant tasks she's yet to do- including learning the official red tape. Up's been putting off the tedious aspects of the course- Taz's displeasure is murderous at the best of times, but there are certain things she has to cover before the position is hers, and the last few weeks soon become a gargantuan nightmare.

Her patience is even thinner than before- he'd thought he'd had it bad with calculus- and she communicates more by screaming and hitting than talking these days. Gone are their casual conversations, which would seem to slip into their training routine without either of them noticing. In a few weeks, Up reminds himself, this part'll be over, but 'a few weeks' can't pass soon enough.

'Get over it! Get back up!' he shouts again and again, but he can see she's stressed, she's overworked and he doesn't blame her. He hates this. It feels like taking a step backwards, away from the level of emotional confidence they've reached.

He's considering a way to rectify this when her composure finally snaps. She has fifty pages worth of seemingly pointless rules to get through, most regarding correct ceremonial and official procedures on planets they're not likely to go to, and she's not taking it in. He points out she's missed a page, and she explodes.

'I AM SO SICK OF THIS _MIERDA_!'

She hurls the rulebook, narrowly missing his head, and storms out.

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><p>She doesn't come back for the rest of the day. He debates whether or not to look for her, deciding to leave her for a few hours to calm herself down. He looks at the pile of stuff still to get through, and mentally tosses aside the schedule for today. He's burning her out, and he doesn't want to- he's her teacher, not her torturer. Instead, he begins to formulate a plan to reconcile himself with her.<p>

It's six in the evening when he knocks on her door, then enters with his master key before she can protest.

'Hey, Taz. I've been lookin' for ya.'

Taz flops down onto the sofa and refuses to get up.

'_No_. I am not going to any more training today.'

'Taz…'

'No!' she says again. 'I thought dis was supposed to be good. I thought being a Lieutenant was gonna be _tough_, I would get to do something more significant dan just filling in forms and learning _estúpido _rules!'

'That part doesn't last forever,' Up chides gently. 'You'll be out there with me doin' the 'significant 'stuff soon enough.' He offers his hand to her. 'Come on.'

'_No!_ How many times!' she turns away from him and folds her arms. 'No more! I am _not_ doing any more today!'

'No, you're not.'

She blinks, uncomprehending, and forgets to look angry. '_Que?'_

Up smiles, holds out his hand again. 'Come on,' he repeats.

She takes it, giving him a questioning look, and he hauls her to her feet. Taz lets him lead her through the corridors, confused but following obediently. He wonders if that hint of mistrust is still there- knowing her, she's probably still thinking he's tricking her, and she'll be met with another mountain of paperwork.

Taz frowns quizzically when they enter the movie theater, gazing at the dozens of empty rows.

'What...why are we...where's everyone else?' The place is packed at the best of times- it's nearly every starship ranger's favourite recreational facility.

Up shoots her a cocky smile. 'You know, there are perks to being a high-ranking officer.'

'So why...'

He shrugs. 'Figured you were gettin' a bit tightly wound. Needed a break.'

She smiles back, and they sit. Up watches Taz's expression, her eyes widening at his choice of entertainment for the evening.

'Karate Kid?'

'I thought it seemed appropriate, you know, mentoring and stuff.'

She gives a little laugh. '_Si. _Very appropriate.'

Taz sinks into her seat, looking more relaxed than he's seen her in weeks now. Up's attention isn't really on the movie as it rolls along- his thoughts are filled with Taz and how she's getting on. Over the past couple months, he's not only gotten used to her, used to her idiosyncracies and glaring character flaws, but he's actually gotten to _like_ her. When she's not trying to seriously wound him, he really does enjoy her company.

He's gotten to like her _a lot._

Taz's hand is resting on the armrest between their seats. Gingerly, Up lifts his own and places it lightly over hers. She doesn't respond- doesn't look at him, doesn't turn her palm up and hold his hand, doesn't even acknowledge the gesture.

But she doesn't tense up, doesn't shake it off, doesn't give him hell for it, and that in itself is a pretty good sign.

He glances over her, at her eyes, animated and fixed on the screen, and smiles to himself. Right now she's just...content, and she's not his Lieutenant, not his Problem Child or his project, and he's not her mentor or her superior officer or the-guy-that's-responsible-for-bringing-such-a-dangerous-Lieutenant-on-board. He's just someone she trusts; maybe even cares about.

And she's just Taz.

And he likes that.


End file.
